Beverly Hills residents concerned by “palm tree tourists” stopping in street to take selfies with city’s landscape
By Web Staff
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BEVERLY HILLS, California (KCAL/KCBS) — Local News Beverly Hills residents concerned by “palm tree tourists” stopping in street to take selfies with city’s landscape losangeles By Gio Insignares, September 17, 2025 / 10:57 PM PDT / KCAL News
Though Beverly Hills is well-known for having some of the world’s most iconic palm tree-lined streets, residents are beginning to grow tired of “palm tree tourists” stopping in the street to snap photos of the city’s iconic landscapes.
They say that the concerning trend really took off thanks to social media and influencers, with groups of people flooding popular streets like Rodeo Drive, Beverly Drive and Cañon Drive.
“It’s definitely taking a risk,” said Jeremiah Cox, a Beverly Hills resident. “Because I drive through there all the time, and sometimes people are in the middle of the street, and you have to honk.”
Visitors say that with so many iconic locations, it’s hard to pass up on a perfect photo.
“Pictures with the palms and the streets; it is iconic,” said two tourists. “Every spot that you have here, it’s like, ‘Okay, I need to take a photo because it’s so beautiful.'”
City leaders say that there has always been a presence of people taking pictures, but that they’re taking the sudden spike in popularity, and the safety concerns associated with it, very seriously.
“At the end of the day, this is a hazard for everyone involved — the pedestrians in the street and the drivers as well,” said Beverly Hills City Manager Keith Sterling.
He says that police have stepped up their patrols in popular areas, stopping visitors from entering the roads and having them move to a safer place. While they continue trying to find ways to address the concerns, city leaders also say that police are using cameras and drones to monitor trouble spots.
So far, Sterling said that they’re making sure that people are educated and aware of the dangers, but that citations are a real possibility if the behavior continues.
“We hope it doesn’t get to that, but if we need to go there, we will,” Sterling said.
In August, the Beverly Hills City Council debated creating a designated photo island, but was concerned that it would lead to even larger crowds and more chaos.
“It’s kind of a way of life in Beverly Hills, but it can’t be at the expense of public safety, not only for the people in the streets, but for our residents,” Sterling said.
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